Expectations
by Ynot7
Summary: Life is full of unexpected twists and turns, and Soul and Maka can really only handle them together. Set as a lead up to Shape and Form, though it's not necessary to read it to get the story. Written for SoMa fans.


**This is just a little something set to lead up to Shape and Form. It's basically written because I needed some practice writing SoMa. Hope it satisfies. Enjoy!**

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Life had been full of things you didn't expect.

You didn't expect to become a weapon.

You didn't expect to have someone as amazing as her as your partner.

To say that your partnership was filled with the unexpected might be the biggest understatement ever made.

Now you'd run into something else you didn't did expect.

All those months of searching for a way to free Crona had only led to dead ends, thus far. You hated seeing her suffer over this. You'd both all but given up hope.

Finally, you'd voiced a random idea.

It was just a passing thought.

Mad blood was just madness enhanced black blood. So, what would be more effective in repelling it than an enhanced anti-demon wavelength? Then you remembered your piano and you'd suggested the idea of using your musical chain resonance to link together as many souls as possible to strengthen her wavelength.

When you'd told her your idea, she'd lit up like a Christmas tree. Soon after, she began making plans to carry out this idea. Eventually, after coming up with a plan to use a radio to play your music and join together about a city's worth of souls, you'd both journeyed to Ukraine to free Tsar Pushka and his meister. There, you played the song to activate your resonance.

The stress had been incredible (something you'd expected). Even though you'd refined your resonating skills, it reminded you of a comic book you'd read (being a closet comic geek, not that you'd ever tell that to Maka) where Spiderman had strained to lift roughly a building's worth of debris.

And yet...it had worked. With one bright slash, the mad blood had receded from the trapped souls. It was like a dark room where someone suddenly turns on a light. A light against the darkness.

The blood lay splattered across the ground (Stein, as expected, wanted a sample). Two blue souls floated in the cold open air. At least, now they weren't trapped in madness.

It had taken you both about a month to recover.

Soon after making preparations to broadcast your music to about a mid-size country's worth of people, you'd headed off to that city in Ukraine. This would be your biggest audience yet.

It was easier to play this time (something you hadn't expected). There was strain from cleansing an entire city, yes, but it felt somehow more under control, more manageable (Stein later theorized that it was like gaining an immunity to strong poisons).

Some loud notes, a strong light, and you both stood, exhausted, cold, in a puddle of mad blood the size of a lake, amid what seemed like a starry sky's worth of floating souls.

This time, it had only taken you both about two weeks to recover.

Now, it had come down to this. Stein had tinkered around with the blood and Medusa's research notes. From there, he'd managed to create four small creatures. Misshapen, purple and black, with small red mouths, tiny enough to fit into Maka's coat pockets. Yet they were created for a very important job. They would be the things that would imprison the Kishin, once Crona was, hopefully, retrieved.

Fashioned from Crona's own mad blood, Stein infused them with madness from your soul, since you knew very well the fears that led someone to Asura's station (something which made you unexpectedly uncomfortable). They would harness Asura's own madness and use it to bind him. (You'd fallen asleep during Stein's explanation...you should have expected the chop you received.)

Kid had given his okay, had worked out all the little details. Spirit had agreed to keep an eye on things until you had all returned. (The waterfall of tears he made when wishing Maka good luck was expected, though it didn't bug her any less.) It was all ready to go now.

You and Maka had set out to head for home and get some rest. Tomorrow would be one hell of a day.

Then, when you'd gotten home, something _very_ unexpected had happened. She had been so happy, so giddy, so hopeful, she'd practically jumped you.

You didn't expect her physical audacity (though you couldn't deny how much you liked it).

After you felt her lips against yours for the first time, it had been incredible. Everything you expected (and more).

It was like being wrapped in living silk, her skin against yours, so soft, so warm.

She puts her strong, yet delicate fingers on your bare chest and tells you that you've always supported her, no matter what. She says she feels like you're her guardian angel. She'd never expected to meet someone like you. (You didn't expect such praise.)

You bring her close, put your lips to her ear and tell her that she's the angel. Pure, kind, and brave. You tell her that it's like she purifies you by being this close. You tell her that she's the most amazing, accepting, coolest person you've ever met.

She didn't expect you to say that. She draws up to look at you. Slight tears touch the corners of her eyes. You can tell you've made her heart swell. She leans down and plants a small peck on your lips, like she's leaving her signature and claiming you as hers.

That night, you caress and moan and hold each other while you sleep. A song you once heard said it best: "It feels like a perfect night." And it was.

The next morning, however, certain unhappy expectations crawl out from the corners of your mind.

You both sit on her bed, backs to the window as you get dressed. The sun is just beginning to come up, painting the room a beautiful shade of orange and yellow. You swear that you can hear the sun give a yawn as it wakes up.

She's looking at you now, with those beautiful emerald eyes. You can't help but blush under her gaze.

The next thing you wonder is if she finds your blush to be as cute as her giggle.

Soon, she goes back to work, strapping on her combat boots. As much as you don't want to bring this up, it's now or never.

"Hey." You say, getting her attention as you slip your shirt on.

"Hm?" She replies, not facing you.

"You know Crona probably won't want to come back, right? I mean, the things he did, the things Medusa did to him...that's not something you get over easily...if ever." You say, as gently as possible. She stops fastening her straps and freezes, distracted by this unpleasant fact. You'd expected this.

"I know." She replies, softly, solemnly. She lets out a sigh, finishing with the final strap.

"I suppose getting him to come back will be a bit like erasing a circle." She says, staring straight in front of her, as though looking at something only she can see. You hadn't expected that response. You raise a brow in confusion.

She turns to you. She looks at you and smirks.

"Or like getting someone to play the piano." She says fondly, if teasing slightly.

That earns her one of your famous toothy grins. You understand. She sees that. She smiles a contented smile, as though she's achieved some small victory, before turning back to the work of getting dressed. Standing up, she starts to fasten one of her pigtails.

You stand up as you begin to slip your coat on. You don't want to, but there's more you have to say.

"What about other people?" You say. She freezes again, after finishing her second pigtail. You can tell, she was afraid you'd remind her of that.

You continue. "Now matter how much he suffers, if he saves the world ten times, most people still probably won't ever forgive or accept him. Hell, Kid _still_ takes crap from people because of his treaty with the witches."

She tenses up, you can tell she's having a hard time with this. Finally, after a few long seconds, she turns to you, and puts her arms around your neck, looking up at you with that smile you love so much.

"Kim once told me something corny Ox said to her." She begins. "Back when she and Jackie were with Arachnophobia, she was scared to come back with Ox, because she didn't think that she'd ever fit in here. Do you know what Ox said to her?"

You're confused. You simply give your head a slight shake. Her smile widens. You've seen her like this. It's the same expression she gets when she finds her favorite part of a book.

"He said that he'd make sure that she had a place in the world, that he'd carve one out, just for her." She replies softly.

You look at her with a surprised expression that soon becomes a soft smile. You understand. You should learn to expect the unexpected from her.

"I should have remembered who I was talking to." You begin. "You _really do_ have an answer for everything."

She giggles and leans in as you both kiss.

_Knock. Knock. _Two knocks on the door, followed by a loud voice.

"Yo! Are you two done yet? We can't keep Crona waiting to bask in my godly presence!" The obnoxious voice reminds you. You hear his partner give a disconcerted sigh.

Startled, you draw back from each other. Still smiling, she takes your hand and leads you to the door.

"He's really stuck with us, isn't he?" You ask, half-jokingly.

"Yep." She replies, bubbly as ever. "Just like you."

You smile back.

"Come on already!" The voice interrupts again.

You sigh. "Let's go, we can't keep _a god _waiting, now can we?"

She giggles again, tightening her grip on your hand as you both head toward the door, ready to face the unexpected together.

As for the how mission went... let's just say you'd never expected to see someone cry out of their third eye.

_END_


End file.
